


Love and Other Simple Things

by streetspirit



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, F/F, Friendship, Love, M/M, Teenage Drama, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6598510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/streetspirit/pseuds/streetspirit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Forced to finish her senior year of high school in a completely different state, Clary Fray feels a little more than lost. But soon, she'll have a new group of friends to depend upon - although that won't happen without at least a little bit of drama to come with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd try out a high school AU. The first chapter focuses mostly on Clary, but I plan to have each chapter center around a specific character. That way I can give each character and relationship attention. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

“Oh, _great_. This again.”

Clary attempted to reignite the engine of her car to no avail, leaving her to lean back into her seat, discouraged. However, she wasn’t all that surprised – what else did she expect from a car she purchased for only two thousand bucks? To be fair, it had held up quite well since Clary first got it in tenth grade two years prior. Although it still understandably upset her when the vehicle chose to shut down out of nowhere.

Now she was forced to be late to the first day at her new school. Clary had been disheartened at the thought of not finishing the last year of high school with the rest of her friends in New York. Perhaps it wasn’t the _best_ state, but it was familiar. Then that familiarity was taken away when her mom’s work forced the Fray family to uproot their lives and move across the country to Southern California. One thing Clary couldn’t complain about was location. The weather was pretty nice, although a bit hotter than she might like from time to time. But it was bearable, and she didn’t want to make her mom feel worse than she probably already did. As a result, Clary decided the least she could do was feign happiness and hold onto the aspects of moving that weren’t so bad.

No matter how much optimism she was holding onto, though, Clary couldn’t find much when her car broke down at one of the busiest intersections in the city. If this had happened ten minutes earlier, she might’ve had the chance to call up her new neighbor, Simon, to help her out. The two weren’t exactly “best friends” yet, but they were pretty close for two people who had only known each other for a little less than three weeks. Unfortunately, Simon had probably already reached campus, and Clary didn’t want to bother him. So there she sat, emergency lights on her car blinking as numerous vehicles made their way around her car.

Clary took her phone out of her messenger bag, dialing the number of the nearest towing service. It took around thirty minutes for the truck to arrive, and by then, Clary knew she was late. Being late was one thing Clary couldn’t stand, so she felt pretty on edge as she made her way into the passenger seat of the tow truck.

 

* * *

 

When she arrived at the mechanic’s, Clary was told her car had to be inspected and fixed over a span of at least twenty-four hours due to the large amount of cars that had come in that day. Fortunately, they offered her a free ride if she needed it due to the inconvenience.

“Can you take me to Hunton High School?” Clary requested, receiving a nod in return. Soon, she was in the seat of a pretty comfortable service car and finally on her way to campus. Clary tried to ignore the fact that she was already almost twenty minutes late, instead taking out a pen and doodling on a scratch piece of paper. Drawing always made Clary feel at ease since she was a little girl, so her parents signed her up for lessons at a young age. Ever since then, art had always held a priority in her mind. She even had an idea of what art school she was planning on attending back in New York. Of course, that was in the past. Now Clary had to find a way to build a new life here, while still keeping the same main art goals in mind.

As Clary glanced up from her drawing, she saw the building of Hunton High School a few blocks ahead. There seemed to be a few lingering students, but not enough to make Clary completely calm about being late. Regardless, she mustered up the courage, and got out of the car once she’d reached the campus. She said a “thank you” to the driver, and then she was left to her own devices. 

Clary fumbled around in her bag before taking out a half-sheet of paper with her class schedule. _Okay, science class. Room 34B_ , Clary thought, heading over to the building labeled “B”. After locating a door with “34” on the front, she hesitantly gripped the door handle and stepped inside.

The class was full of students who turned their attention to her, along with a teacher who seemed less than pleased with Clary’s entrance.

“Sorry I’m late, my car broke down,” Clary said, genuinely apologetic.

The teacher sighed and waved her toward an empty seat near the front. Surrounding the table was a group of girls with styled curls framing their faces and form-fitting attire hugging their bodies. Seeing them all look so confident and well put together made Clary feel a little shy. It wasn’t that Clary didn’t like her own style or anything; she had never really cared to be very fashionable. She just wore what was comfortable and looked decent. The shyness she felt did not seem to stem from any kind of self-esteem issue but rather intimidation. Pretty girls had always made Clary nervous and caused a pink tint to appear on her pale cheeks. She’d always brushed it off as jealousy, or her mother would assure her that “all girls tend to idolize other girls”. So Clary just took it as that. Obviously, that was what was occurring now; Clary was simply drawn to the girls’ fashion choices. Particularly the girl seated the closest to her, with long black tresses and deep brown eyes, a bright red painted on her lips.

Snapping back into reality, Clary sat herself down and proceeded to take out her schoolbook. She had no idea what page the rest of the class was on, so Clary frantically turned the pages until she saw a hand that wasn’t hers appear next to the text.

“Here, let me help,” the brown-eyed girl Clary had been looking at earlier said kindly as she flipped to page ninety-two in Clary’s book. The girl smiled and returned to her own schoolbook, leaving Clary even more flustered than before.

“Thank you,” Clary mouthed at the girl, gaining another smile from her. The action made Clary feel warm and fuzzy inside, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.

The rest of science passed by in a blur, and soon students were packing their things up to head to the next class. Clary closed up her book and slipped it into her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. She thought it would be a good opportunity to possibly make a friend, starting with a name introduction. The girl was no longer at the seat beside Clary, so Clary scanned the room until she spotted her near the back. With a newfound confidence, Clary started to walk over, but was suddenly cut off by what seemed like a wall of students. At the core were the girls Clary had sat next to, along with a few boys lingering nearby. Realizing that it was no use to try and shove her way through, Clary glanced at her schedule and started heading toward art class in Room 28B.

The bell rung loudly as Clary slipped into her seat, resting her bag on the ground beside her table. She reached in and pulled out her sketchbook and pencil case before adjusting her position in her seat to a more comfortable one. Art class already seemed to be her favorite, even though the class hadn’t even started and this was only her second period. Somehow, though, Clary could tell; her teacher seemed friendly enough from the look of it, and the interior of the class made Clary feel at home. Artwork was hung up along one wall, probably from the previous school year. There was a sink in the back, paintbrushes and aprons on the counter beside it. Much like in her science class, inspirational posters plastered the wall all the students were facing, saying phrases meant to motivate. Instead, most students poked fun at the quotes, but the teachers insisted on keeping them up.

As Clary scanned the large amount of teenagers surrounding her, she spotted a familiar brunette with glasses sitting in the seat adjacent to hers. “Simon?” Clary asked, tapping her neighbor on the shoulder. 

Simon spun around and grinned widely the second he saw Clary, “Clary, hi! What are you doing here? Wait, obviously you’re in art. Y’know being all…you.” He gestured at Clary as he said the last sentence, causing Clary to giggle.

“Yeah, this is pretty ‘me’. But I have to ask, why are you in art? I mean, not to sound rude or anything. Just wondering since you never really seemed to express an interest in it,” Clary responded.

“Oh, yeah. Um, I honestly just took the class since I heard it was pretty easy. I mean, it’s just drawing, right?” Simon said, making a face of concern after he realized Clary seemed a little hurt by the remark. “Obviously not easy, I don’t know why I said that! I’m sorry.”

Clary shook it off and smiled again, “It’s okay, Simon. A lot of people seem to think that art is easy until they try it themselves. But there’s always room to learn.”

Simon seemed relieved that Clary wasn’t upset and was about to reply when the teacher began an introduction. “Hello, students! My name is Ms. Park, and I’ll be your art teacher for the rest of the year. Now let’s start class off with some individual student introductions." 

Clary internally groaned at the thought of introducing herself but forced a smile, not wanting to give a bitter first impression. Eventually, it was her turn to stand up. She gave a quick scan of the room and proceeded to speak, “I’m Clary Fray. I’m a senior and just moved here from New York.” Part of the class looked slightly intrigued, but the rest seemed half-awake or simply uninterested. After getting a nod from Ms. Park signaling that Clary could sit down, she lowered herself into her chair and listened to the rest of the students make their introductions. 

At the end of class, Simon approached Clary. “Um, it’s break time, so did you want to maybe hang out with me in the courtyard?” He asked a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, sure! I don’t know anyone here, so it’s good to have a friend next to me,” Clary said. “Oh, but first I have to find out where my locker is. I still don’t know since I came here like twenty minutes late.”

“No problem. Want me to walk you to where the office is?” Simon asked.

“That would be great, thanks.” Clary followed Simon as he walked out of the classroom.

The hallway was full of students walking and talking, others stopped by lockers and water fountains. Clary could spot a few freshmen wandering around, seemingly lost, and she couldn’t help but relate a bit. Even though it was her last year of high school, it was in a totally different state with people she didn’t know at all. She was really grateful that Simon was so willing to help her and be by her side. Clary felt like she might actually get through the year without making a complete fool of herself, increasing her confidence slightly.

As the office came into view, so did a cluster of students talking by the wall across. Clary recognized one of them as the girl from her science class, and she felt butterflies arise in her stomach. The girl looked up at her, giving a little wave, and Clary could feel her legs wobble slightly as she managed a wave back. The small interaction made Clary a bit giddy, and she shook her head in embarrassment.

Simon was worried about Clary’s expression and paused. “Clary, is everything okay?” He asked, following her gaze to the group of students filling the hallway with their laughter. “I see, already interested in the popular kids.”

“Oh, um, I was just wondering who they were,” Clary said, trying to look and sound more casual.

“Well, now you know. I would distance myself from them if I was you – they might seem kind of nice but they definitely aren’t. Plus people like us don’t really mix with… _them_ ,” Simon responded with a sigh.

Clary furrowed her brow a bit, put off by what Simon had just said. From her interaction with one of the girls, she knew that they weren’t all mean. Or maybe the girl had just been keeping up appearances? The situation left her confused, but she spoke anyway, “You can’t really judge an entire group though. I’m sure some of them are genuinely nice people.”

Simon crossed his arms, “Have you never been in a high school? Or watched a movie about a high school? The popular kids are like top tier, and all the other students fall underneath. Like you and me, we’re bottom tier. Maybe not super low, but we’re definitely down there.”

“That’s a pretty big judgment to make. Have you even spoken to one of them?” Clary inquired.

“Um, well no. But that’s because I’m smart, and I stay away from them. Like you should.” Simon turned back toward the office and started walking again.

Clary rolled her eyes and followed, taking a quick glance back toward the group. A guy with a letterman jacket seemed to tower over his friends and put an arm around the girl, the pair of them laughing with each other. Feeling a bit jealous, Clary picked up her pace until she was right next to Simon.

They finally reached the office and approached the door. Through a window, Clary could see a few students sitting in chairs, one of which was holding their arm in pain. A nurse guided them into another room, leaving the remaining students to stare off into the distance in boredom. The office was pretty dim, a contrast to the fluorescent lighting throughout the rest of the school. When Clary stepped inside, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the difference in brightness. Once she had, her eyes moved to the other side of the room, spotting a man filing papers behind a desk. Clary made her way over with Simon trailing behind her, his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the room.

“Hi, I was wondering if I could receive my locker information?” Clary asked as she got to the receptionist’s desk.

The man neatened a stack of papers and turned his attention to Clary and Simon. “Yes, what is your full name and grade?”

“Clary Fray, twelfth grade,” she responded, drumming her fingers on the table’s surface.

The man handed her a slip of paper with the locker number and combination, “You have locker number 157. I’m sure you know how to use a lock, right?”

Clary nodded before politely thanking him and exiting the office, the slip of paper held in place between her fingers. The numbering system was pretty confusing, so she asked Simon for help. He eagerly agreed, leading her down the hallway and taking a few turns before coming upon a row of lockers. Clary turned her attention to the inscriptions on the lockers and noticed that the numbers were upwards of 160. After moving back a bit, she finally found what seemed to be her locker, and she did the combination with ease.

“These lockers are a lot smaller than the ones I had at my old school,” she commented as she lightly tossed a spiral notebook into the locker.

“Oh, do the students in New York get individual closets for their books or something?” Simon joked. 

“Yep, and they aren’t those small coat closets either. They’re the nice walk-in ones with built-in shelving,” Clary jested back.

Both of them chuckled until the bell rang, startling them a bit. Clary closed her locker and adjusted the strap of her bag to rest comfortably on her shoulder.

“Sorry we couldn’t go to the courtyard like you wanted,” Clary apologized.

“Don’t sweat it. But be prepared to make it up to me at lunch. We are for sure meeting up over there to eat,” Simon said, heading off in the other direction.

Clary waved at him and checked to see what her next class was: English. She slowly walked over to the room, not looking forward to sitting through three more periods of lectures.

 

* * *

 

The school day went by slowly – a bit too slowly for Clary’s taste – and nothing too exciting happened. She did meet up with Simon for lunch, but that was the only real highlight of the day. They’d sat on a bench near a large tree, overlooking the other students. Clary had subtly tried to find the girl from her science class without any luck. However, she had spotted the boy that sparked her jealousy near the water fountains with some of his friends. He was still wearing the same letterman jacket and was leaned against a wall in an attempt to be as eye-level with his peers as possible. The group of guys seemed to be the same ones Clary had witnessed practicing football during her gym class. Football was not exactly Clary's area of expertise, but she could tell the team had skill.

By the end of the day, Clary was tired and had about a million assignments running through her head. Simon was walking by her side, recounting a story of some kid who had basically slept through the entire class with a book propped up in front of them. Clary was only half-listening, but not intentionally – she just had a lot on her mind. The realization then struck her that she also did not have a car to drive.

“Sorry to interrupt, Simon, but can you maybe give me a ride home? I’ll pay for gas. It’s just that my car’s being fixed at the mechanic’s right now,” Clary said suddenly.

Simon smiled at her, “Of course! Anything for a damsel in distress.” He got his car keys out of his pocket and made his way to a black Sedan parked relatively close to the school’s entrance. 

“Thank you, knight in shining armor,” Clary giggled, opening the door for the passenger side and getting in. She clicked in her seat belt and took out her phone from her bag, noticing the missed calls and text messages her mom and dad had left.

“Wow, someone doesn’t check their phone nearly as much as a teenager should,” Simon said, seeing the sea of notifications on her phone as he got into the car.

“Hey, I was very busy with my studies,” Clary said, replying to one of the many text messages her parents had left. “They’re just being parents. Trying to check in to see how I’m doing on my first day.”

Simon nodded and put the key in the ignition, backing up and then driving out of the parking lot and onto the street. Clary finally put down her phone and looked out the window, watching as a flurry of buildings and street lamps went by, the sky a bright blue and the sun gleaming down on the town below. She turned to the screen at the front of the car and noticed the choices for radio stations. 

“Hey, you like indie and alternative stuff, right?” Clary asked Simon as she scrolled through the options.

“Yeah, you remembered?” Simon replied as he made a left at an intersection. “I was actually thinking of joining a band that’s in need of a guitarist at school.”

Clary selected one of the alternative rock stations and let the sound drift around the car. She reclined her seat a bit, “You should join! Sounds like your kind of thing.”

“You think? I dunno, though. I’ve only ever played guitar by myself, not with other people. Like what if I mess up and they kick me out?” Simon voiced his concerns.

“Well that could happen. _Or_ they could think you’re really cool and talented, adding you to their band. Then you guys would eventually get famous and tour worldwide, with tons of fans at your gigs,” Clary reassured.

“Very true. That will most definitely be the turnout,” Simon said in reply, tapping his toe to the beat of the song on the radio as the car reached a stop for a red light.

The pair eventually arrived at Clary’s house, located right next to Simon’s. Clary unbuckled herself and got out of the car, zipping up her jacket as she felt a cool breeze start up.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Simon. Here, let me get the money for the gas,” she said, fishing around in her bag for her wallet.

Simon held out his hands in protest, “No payment necessary. It was simply a car ride with a friend.”

“Are you sure? I just feel bad,” Clary said with her wallet in hand.

“Yes, I’m sure. Plus, I enjoyed it.” Simon looked down a bit as he said the last part. Clary thought she saw him blush a bit, but then she decided it was just her imagination.

“It was fun. Well, thanks again. See you later!” Clary said, moving toward her house.

“Bye, Clary.” Simon walked up his front steps, stealing a final glance at her before entering his house.

Clary stepped into the doorway and closed the door, dropping her messenger bag into a chair in the living room. She stretched out her arms a bit, strolling to the kitchen where she saw her dad making some pasta along with a sauce. The fragrant aroma made its way around the house, and Clary took a minute to appreciate the delicious smell. 

“Hi, dad,” Clary said, walking up to him. “School was pretty good. I mostly hung out with Simon.”

“Good! How were teachers?” her dad responded happily, stirring the sauce and checking on the pasta.

“They were okay. The only one I really liked was my art teacher,” Clary looked over at the sauce and saw the bubbling mixture, her stomach growling a bit. 

“Not a surprise. You always were in love with art classes.”

Clary grinned and sat on one of the kitchen stools, letting her feet dangle a bit. She loved how supportive her parents were of her dreams. Not all people were so happy to hear that their child wanted to pursue a career in the arts, so Clary was grateful.

“Is mom coming home from work soon?” Clary questioned after a bit, her father already portioning the food into bowls. 

“Yes, she should be home around five,” he said, bringing a bowl over to Clary. “Want to eat now? I can tell you’re pretty hungry.” 

Clary nodded happily and carried her bowl over to the table, sitting beside her dad. The two of them had a pretty close relationship. It helped that, at least for the meantime, her dad was stay-at-home. Although Clary couldn’t help but feel bad when she saw her dad searching for work. After he was fired for a misunderstanding involving a colleague, it had been difficult for him to get back on his feet. Nevertheless, he made sure that the time he was spending at home was worthwhile. Plus, Clary couldn’t argue much with having more time with her dad, and her mom was doing a great job of supporting the Fray family as best she could.

Once Clary and her father talked for a bit and both their bowls were pretty much empty, Clary took the dishes to the sink and rinsed them off. Grabbing her bag from the chair it had been propped up on, she thanked her dad for the meal and headed upstairs to her room. 

Clary’s bedroom was normally bright and sunny due to the large windows, which allowed light to pour in easily. The walls were a light gray color that she had loved when they had first moved in, so no painting had to be done. Her bed was a bit of a mess with the mint green covers unfolded from earlier in the morning. There were multiple posters of Clary’s favorite artworks and the faces of the artists she loved. In the corner was a table with a desk lamp on top, sketchbook and colored pencils scattered across. Even though she had a cup specifically for the pencils to go in, it was practically never used. In fact, Clary’s organization skills in general were not very good, but she didn’t care too much. Organization had never really been top priority in her mind; that spot was reserved for creativity. 

Clary set her messenger bag down near her desk and sat down, taking a binder and pencil out. She felt pretty discouraged by the amount of work staring at her from the side of the desk, but she thought she might as well power through and get it over with.

About three and a half hours later, Clary was writing the last word on her final worksheet and set her pencil down, placing her head on the desk. After a minute spent staring off into space to recover from the tedious task, Clary checked the time on her phone and saw that it was eight o’clock in the evening. Normally, in her free time, Clary would draw and let her mind get lost in the shapes and lines. Since she had a good amount of time before sleeping, she took her sketchbook, flipped it to an open page, and began to sketch. Clary never really thought out an idea beforehand, instead starting on impulse and seeing where her imagination took her. She slowly began to form a girl’s face, eventually adding big eyes, long curled hair, pretty lips… Clary suddenly stopped.

The girl she had been drawing was the same girl who had been stuck in her head all day since science. Why was Clary still so hung up on her? The only interactions they’d had so far were page turning and hellos. Yet those moments were still so vivid, replaying over and over in Clary’s mind.

Clary felt her cheeks flush and quickly closed the sketchbook, grabbing her cellphone. She wanted to call someone, but she didn’t have any idea who. Simon was a friend, but he wasn't close enough to confide in about something like this. Then there were her best friends from New York. Another glance at the time reminded Clary that the time difference probably meant they were all asleep. That left no one. Clary turned her phone off and moved over to her bed, allowing herself to collapse onto it and groan. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was crushing on a girl. And she was crushing hard.


	2. Just Keep Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabelle Lightwood has been surrounded by "friends" all throughout her years in school, but she's never really felt close with any of them. Now that she's taking a theatre arts class with basically no previous singing and acting experience, she could use the support more than ever. Luckily for Isabelle, a random encounter could give her exactly what she's looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say that I am so sorry this took so long to update. I was planning on doing updates more frequently but school really took away a lot of my time. Luckily it's summer, so I will hopefully have the next chapter up in a shorter amount of time. And thank you everyone who left comments on the first chapter, they were all really nice!
> 
> Also you might have noticed some tag changes; I did make some alterations to the story while I was writing this chapter. Saphael is no longer going to be a major relationship simply because it would take far too many chapters (especially with the way I wanted to have each chapter focus mainly on a specific character). I feel like it's a lie to say it'll even be minor, so I didn't want to keep it in the tags. However, there may be mentions of it. 
> 
> So, in case there's confusion, Clizzy and Malec are the relationships this fic centers around, and there will be individual chapters for Clary, Isabelle, Magnus, and Alec. I'm really sorry if you came here for Saphael, and this will definitely be a lesson on making my decisions completely set in stone before continuing. Again, thank you to everyone reading and commenting!!

“And that’s a wrap everyone! See you all in class tomorrow.”

The drama students began to clear out of the room after an hour of going over  _Grease_ , which would be the class’s first performance of the school year. Auditions weren’t for another two weeks, but Isabelle was already planning her tryout piece. If she wanted the lead role, she’d have to work for it.

Isabelle knelt down to pick up her belongings, which consisted of a sleek black backpack and the handouts her drama teacher had given each student. There wasn’t anything on there that Isabelle hadn’t already memorized, but that didn’t stop her from being prepared. Especially with the competition she was facing with other students in her class. While Isabelle had the skill and a social upper hand, there were quite a few drama students who stood out. They had already been taking theater for either a few or all of their high school years and were adored by the teacher. And one of them was coming toward Isabelle at that very moment.

“Isabelle Lightwood, huh? I’m surprised you haven’t ditched school by now to go shopping with your little friends.” The greeting of sorts directed at Isabelle came from Camille Belcourte, top drama student and ex-girlfriend of the equally well-known Magnus Bane - who was also commonly revered by both his peers and teacher.

Camille stood tall before Isabelle, her raven black hair complementing the blood red hue of her dress. Her eye makeup was bold, and her lipstick seemed to be about the same shade as her attire. While she definitely had an intimidating appearance and demeanor, Isabelle could hold her own.

“Wow, Camille. Looks like you’re not too familiar with the polite way to introduce yourself to someone. Then again, ‘polite’ probably isn’t even in your vocabulary,” Isabelle responded nonchalantly as she tossed her hair behind her and threw her backpack over her shoulders.

With a roll of her eyes, Camille continued, “I don’t know if you were planning to audition for Sandy or not, but I thought I’d just give you a little piece of advice: don’t.”

“Look, I don’t know what you have against me, but I’m just trying to do my best in this class like anyone else. And since when do you dictate what goes on around here?”

“Since-” Camille was suddenly cut off by the arrival of a student in a loose-fitted blouse with intricate detailing and hair that was well-coiffed atop his head. He could only be… “ _Magnus_ ,” Camille said through gritted teeth.

“And hello to you too, Camille.” Magnus turned to Isabelle with a smile, “I’m sorry, is she bothering you? She can never go a day without finding someone to prey on.”

Isabelle couldn’t resist the urge to break out into a grin herself. Magnus had a very friendly and comfortable aura about him, a nice contrast from Camille’s cold one. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. I’m Isabelle by the way.”

“Or so I’ve heard! I see you and your brother are quite popular here.”

“Well, I guess you could say that. But from the looks of it, you’ve made a pretty big name for yourself.” Isabelle gestured to the group of students staring at Magnus with awe in their eyes. Not that she could completely blame them.

The lack of attention being brought to her caused Camille to huff with annoyance. Magnus and Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh a bit at her petulance.

Isabelle had spent the remainder of her time in drama talking to Magnus, and it turned out the two had quite a lot in common. Though the strongest bonding force had to be their mutual dislike of Camille.

Lunch break had finally come around, and Isabelle was looking over her handouts from class as she made her way to the tables. Her run-in with Camille had only further motivated her to try out for the main part. Isabelle had learned long ago that thick skin could really save you at times, but she also knew that it was okay to acknowledge your emotions every now and again. Now was one of those times where she had to turn a bad situation into something good, and if she wasn’t determined to earn the lead role before, she was now.

Just as Isabelle was reaching the eating area and looking over the audition requirements for the twentieth time, somebody crashed into her side.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so so sorry.” A head poked out behind a stack of tin buckets and paintbrushes. “I was trying to get these art supplies to the drama room, and I should’ve been paying more attention!”

A few of the papers Isabelle had been holding had scattered onto the floor, along with one lone bucket that had toppled from the person’s stack. Isabelle picked the fallen objects up and looked at them, noticing that the girl behind the buckets was the same girl who had come as a new student a couple days back. The girl was wearing her hair down this time, and the red waves fell around her perfectly. “No, no don’t worry! It was probably my fault anyway - too caught up reading these silly papers.”

The redhead seemed to remember Isabelle as well, her eyes suddenly glimmering with recognition. “Aren’t you in my first period science class? I didn’t know you were in drama.”

“Yeah, I am! New student right?” The girl nodded, and Isabelle continued, “My name’s Isabelle by the way, or Izzy if you want. I’d shake your hand but your arms seem pretty full. Here, let me help.”

The other girl seemed to want to insist otherwise, but Isabelle was already taking half of the stack into her own arms. “Thank you, Izzy. I’m Clary,” she responded as she adjusted her grasp.

“Clary. What a pretty name,” Isabelle said, and she meant it. The name sounded so fitting for the girl bearing it; simple yet also enticing. Isabelle felt drawn to her in a way that she’d never felt with her friends before. She decided to take her opportunity to get to know the girl better, “Hey, why don’t we meet up for lunch later?”

Clary grinned immediately, picking up her pace to the drama room. “Sounds good!”

 

* * *

 

Isabelle and Clary spent most of their time together for the following two weeks, and it helped that they saw each other during a couple classes as well. During drama, some of the art class would come in and start getting the stage and props set up for the play. Most of the drama students were spending their time getting prepared for their production of _Grease_ and the auditions. Clary volunteered to help Isabelle practice for her audition, but she never really gave any critiques. Isabelle wasn’t sure whether that was because Clary was just being nice or the other girl genuinely thought her singing was good enough as it was. She assumed it was the former.

Isabelle’s friends had taken notice of her absence at the group’s usual lunch spot. Her brother, Alec, was worried that something serious had happened, but she had filled him in.

“We clicked right away. That’s never really happened to me before,” Isabelle told him at the Lightwood household where the two siblings had arrived after school.

Alec nodded, placing his gym bag on the floor and removing his jacket. “True. I remember you weren’t even that close with Rachel and your other friends back in middle school until you warmed up to them later.”

Isabelle fell onto the couch and swung her legs over. “I guess it’s mostly because I was forced into that group, you know? I never got the chance to experience meeting new people since we were all expected to limit ourselves to just each other. But this was totally a chance meeting, and I’m so glad it happened.”

“Wow, Iz, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you have a crush on her or something.”

Hearing her brother say that caused Isabelle’s eyes to widen, and she replied quickly, “No way. She’s a _girl_ , Alec.”

Alec held his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay. You’re super straight, sorry.”

“Plus you’re one to talk with the massive crush you had on Jace in eighth grade.”

Jace had been Alec’s best friend since the two were practically babies. When the Lightwoods moved into their house, there had been another couple with a newborn right next door. The families had become fast friends and still were to this day, although Jace still had no idea about Alec’s feelings. In fact, no one did. Being gay in high school was already tough enough on its own, but throwing being head of the football team into the mix was another thing altogether.

Although Alec acted like it didn’t affect him having to fake it to practically everyone in his life but Isabelle, his sister could tell it took a toll on him. He would often throw himself into the sports world to ignore his feelings. Every time Isabelle tried to get him to open up, Alec would shut almost immediately. For now, they had their little talks where Alec could be himself for at least a fraction out of his day.

“Listen, I got past that. I think of him like a friend now,” Alec said with a roll of his eyes.

“Sure. Well I’m probably going to meet up with Clary later, and maybe Magnus. You should really meet them soon - wait, maybe you can come too!”

“I would, but I’m going to Jace’s in a bit. Plus I think I need to go to the gym later.”

“Oh brother, you’re no fun. Well, you’ll have to see them sooner or later.”

Alec chuckled. “Have fun with your friends.”

By the time Isabelle left the house, Alec was already out. She put her bag over her shoulder and headed to her car, driving to the coffee shop near her neighborhood. It was a pretty typical hangout spot for the teenagers within the area and rightfully so; the drinks were fairly inexpensive, there was free Wi-Fi, and the place was full of comfortable seating and tables. Isabelle had been there a couple times with her friends, but they always ended up going to a house party soon afterwards. Sometimes she felt like taking things a little slower, and it felt nice to have Clary as a friend to introduce more of that calmness into her own life.

As she parked her car in a spot not too far from the coffee shop’s entrance, Isabelle could spot Clary and Magnus through a window near the front. The two were laughing about something, and the bun on Clary’s head threatened to fall apart from her movement. For some reason, the sight caused Isabelle’s heart to swell up and a smile to spread across her face. There was something so captivating about the way Clary showed her emotions - the girl was always so animated in everything she did. Isabelle couldn’t get the image of Clary’s laughter out of her head, and she honestly wasn’t too sure she even wanted to.

There was the sound of a bell jingling as Isabelle entered through the door, causing a few heads to abruptly turn to her direction before most looked away. Isabelle was a beautiful girl, so she held the attention of a few teenagers for a few moments. She turned to where Clary and Magnus sat, both of which had small lattes in front of them.

“Hey, you two! Sorry I’m late,” Isabelle greeted as she sat herself in the chair across from them.

“No worries, I was just talking to your lovely friend here about possible set designs,” Magnus reassured with a small smile. “Oh, and we ordered something for you too. Clary told me about how much you love lattes.” He picked up an untouched cup of coffee, a cute design swirled on the top.

Clary blushed and pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear. “I thought you’d like it.”

Isabelle looked at the cup in front of her and grinned. She _did_ love lattes, and Clary was clearly a good listener - even when it came to Isabelle’s ramblings. “I do! I love it. Thank you.” She pulled out her wallet and started to unzip it. “How much was it?”

Magnus and Clary both giggled at each other and shook their heads. “That’s not necessary. It’s a little treat from biscuit and me,” Magnus responded.

“Biscuit?” Isabelle asked with a tilt of her head.

“Oh, that’s a nickname I gave Clary. Pretty fitting, I think.”

Isabelle glanced at Clary fondly for a while and nodded. “Definitely.”

Clary looked down abashedly, and the two girls held each other’s gaze until Magnus spoke up. “Okay, so biscuit also tells me you want to get some last minute preparations in before your audition tomorrow.”

“Yes! I think I got my vocals down the way I want it thanks to the help of you two, but I still want to get your opinions on the final product.” Isabelle pulled out her phone, made a few swipes and taps, then held it out to Clary and Magnus. “I recorded it the way I’d sing it for my try-out tomorrow. Let me know what you think.”

Clary and Magnus held the phone between them and listened to Isabelle’s recording while Isabelle bit her lip anxiously. Neither friend was ever harsh in their reviews, but this was _it_. Isabelle couldn’t really afford to get it wrong or else her audition the next day was bound to mess up somehow.

The recording was in its last seconds before the pair put the device down and looked at Isabelle. They seemed to be trying to build suspense, but Clary couldn’t hold it in.

“Izzy, that was amazing! I mean I’ve heard you sing in front of me before, and you were great then. But I can totally hear the improvement you’ve made,” Clary said excitedly.

“Clary, that’s too sweet.” Isabelle didn’t know what else to do or say as she was so taken aback by the other girl’s kind words, and she ended up lightly clasping her hand around Clary’s across the table.

At first, Clary was startled by the gesture, but she warmed into the touch and the corners of her mouth quirked up.

Magnus stared at the two girls with some confusion. He seemed to want to ask something, but decided against it. “Everything biscuit said is spot-on. I’ve been in theatre arts for a while, and for a beginner, you certainly have the potential to get that role. Just be sure to put the same amount of passion you had in this recording when you sing to the judges. They love to be able to feel the emotion in your performance.”

Isabelle turned her attention to Magnus, letting go of Clary’s hand in the process. “Thank you, Magnus. I’ll definitely use that tip.”

“Mags, how’s your audition song going? You sang it to us a few days back, and I loved it,” Clary asked.

“Oh, I’ve gotten a lot of preparation in. I also _may_ have put off some of my homework assignments to have more time to sing, but that’s beside the point.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the part,” Isabelle said with Clary moving her head up and down in agreement. “You are the best student in our class beside Camille.”

“Speaking of Camille, you never told me about how it was dating her! Too bad I didn’t go to this school before - I missed out on all the drama,” Clary told Magnus.

“Oh, biscuit, I think it’s a good thing you didn’t have to witness that mess of a relationship. But I suppose I will fill you in on what happened.”

“While you two delve into the past, I think I’m going to head to the bathroom. Be right back.” Isabelle excused herself from the table and made her way to the restrooms in the back of the coffee shop.

Unfortunately, there was a line, so Isabelle was in for a wait. By the time she got out, she assumed Magnus and Clary had moved onto another topic. She was about to turn the corner to where the two were sitting when she dropped her wallet on the floor. Isabelle paused to pick it up and was suddenly intrigued by the conversation Magnus and Clary were having.

From where she was standing behind the dividing wall, their voices were a little faint. However, Isabelle had definitely picked up on some talk of “unrequited love” that grabbed her attention.

“Mags, about what you said with unrequited love and everything - I kind of get that.”

“Is this a past problem or a current one?”

Isabelle had moved a little bit closer in order to hear their conversation more clearly. She felt bad eavesdropping, but for some reason she had to know what Clary was talking about.

“Very current. There’s _someone_ I’ve been getting to know better lately and, well, I think I’m starting to really like them. Maybe even past a like. I know it’s kind of weird to call it 'love', but maybe that’s what it is?”

Someone Clary had been getting close to? Her first thought was Simon, since he and Clary had only known each other a few weeks before school started. Then there was Magnus and herself. Isabelle laughed at the thought of Clary having a crush on her - that was impossible - and moved onto the possibility of Magnus and Simon. It really could be either of them. Unless Clary had other friends she had been getting to know better as well. Isabelle decided to listen in a little longer.

“Well, it very well could be love. But I will ask you, do you know this person doesn’t like you back? It was rather apparent with Camille and me, but how do you know that’s the case with you?”

“Don’t give me false hope. She doesn’t even like girls.” Clary immediately stopped after her slip-up.

“She? Well now we’re getting somewhere, biscuit.”

Isabelle was actually happy to hear that Clary’s crush was a girl. She was mad at herself for thinking that way; was she really that jealous of her new friend liking the guys she was interested in? So much so that she was relieved to hear Clary had a liking for her own gender?

This revelation brought up a whole new lot of questions. Isabelle wondered who the mysterious girl was and if she knew her. If things turned out in Clary’s favor, Isabelle was thinking of possibly setting the two of them up together.

She also felt ashamed of herself. Here she was, listening in on a private conversation between Clary and Magnus, one they were having while they thought she wasn’t there. She decided to step out to them when she saw a familiar face to her side.

“Jace?” She asked the blonde boy who was walking in front of her.

“Hi, Izzy!” Jace said with a grin, holding a to-go coffee cup in his hand. Everyone around them, including Clary and Magnus, heard the exchange. Isabelle noticed Clary shift a bit uncomfortably in her seat.

“Jace, is Alec with you? He told me he was heading to your place earlier.”

“Yeah, he’s in line getting an iced coffee. That guy is way too plain with his coffee choices.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.” She eyed her table and motioned Jace over. “Here, why don’t you meet my friends.”

“I thought I knew all your friends already.”

“These are newer. I decided to broaden my social sphere.”

Isabelle led Jace over to Magnus and Clary, and he extended a hand out. “Nice to meet you, I’m Jace.”

“I’m Clary, and this is Magnus.” Clary shook his hand politely, followed by Magnus.

The three of the newly-introduced friends continued their talk when Alec made his way over.

“Hello, Mister ‘I Couldn’t Make It.'” Isabelle smirked at her brother.

“I didn’t know Jace would end up dragging me here,” Alec said, sipping his iced coffee innocently.

“Well now’s a good time to introduce you to Clary and Magnus then.”

Alec raised his eyebrows as Isabelle pulled him over to the table.

“Alec, meet Magnus and Clary. Magnus and Clary, meet Alec.”

The second Alec made eye contact with Magnus, he nearly dropped his drink. “M-Magnus.” Isabelle had to hold back her simper.

“That’s my name, Alec. Or would you prefer Alexander?” Magnus said with amusement.

“Alexander is...good. Nice to meet you.” Although the boy had managed to control his stuttering, his nervousness wasn’t completely masked.

Alec's sister couldn't help but be surprised. Isabelle had never heard Alec allow anyone to call him by his full name - not even his own parents. Magnus had to be pretty special to be given a free pass to address Alec that way.

“Wow, no hello for me?” Clary asked with joking offense.

Alec looked at Magnus a bit longer before turning to Clary. “Oh, sorry, hi.”

Clary laughed. “Careful, Izzy, your brother might steal Magnus away from us.”

Isabelle met Alec’s eye and gave him a look which he took as a sign to “tone it down”. In an effort to come across as cool and collected, Alec tried to step away from Magnus and lean against the wall behind him. Unfortunately, the turnout was less than desirable. The iced coffee he was holding fell out of his hand and onto Magnus’s satin white shirt. Alec had also overshot where the wall would be and ended up hitting his head against it.

At that moment, however, he didn’t exactly see his injury as top priority. Alec immediately knelt down beside Magnus and grabbed some napkins off the table, trying to wipe away the stain to the best of his ability. “I am so sorry. This shirt must’ve cost you so much, and I just ruined it.”

Luckily, Magnus was hardly affected. “Honestly, this was one of my cheaper clothing items. I can’t say I miss it too much. But thank you for the effort.”

Jace chuckled from behind them. “Gosh, Alec. You’re lucky your coordination isn’t that bad on the field.”

The group of them laughed, relieving some of the tension Alec had been feeling. “Well, I still think I can help clean it up a bit. We can go to the bathroom so I can try to fix the shirt, and I’ll give you a jacket of mine to wear.” He blushed before continuing, “Only if you’re okay with that.”

Magnus smiled. “If it’s the one you’re wearing, I don’t think it’ll pair very well with my outfit. But how can I say no to such a nice face?”

The two boys left the table together, Alec being more than attentive to Magnus. From what Isabelle could tell, though, Magnus certainly didn’t mind the extra attention.

“Well that was an entertaining introduction,” Isabelle said, retrieving Alec’s plastic cup from the floor it had fallen on. The coffee shop had made a good decision investing in wood flooring, otherwise the spill would have probably taken a lot more elbow grease to get out.

Jace and Clary helped to clean up, the remaining three talking amongst themselves until Alec and Magnus returned. To Isabelle, it seemed like they’d been gone a little longer than necessary, but she decided to not make a comment. There would be plenty of opportunity for that at home.

 

* * *

 

“Alec, help me decide what to wear!” Isabelle called to her brother as she glumly looked at herself in the mirror with the ensemble she had put together. A pair of high-waisted jeans and a cropped sweater would’ve been cute any other day, but she doubted it was good for an audition. Was there even a dress code for auditions like this? Isabelle silently scolded herself for not asking Magnus these questions earlier.

There were three piles of clothing on the top of Isabelle's bed, each one representing a "yes", "no", and "maybe". At this point, the separation between the piles was so indistinguishable due to the overwhelming amount of pieces she possessed. Somehow Isabelle still had a way of figuring it out.

Alec came in, a bowl of cereal in hand. “Iz, I don’t think I’m the right person to ask.”

“Now is not the time to discuss your own poor wardrobe choices! I just need to know what looks appropriate for a singing audition. Do they pay attention to clothes?”

“Well, I’ve never tried out for a play or musical so I can’t say. But isn’t the point to show them how good your voice is, not your fashion sense?”

Isabelle threw the clothes she’d been holding a second before onto her bed. “Oh my gosh, you’re right! I should be practicing my scales.”

Just as she was about to sing out a note, Alec raised a hand up. “You did plenty of that last night, Iz. I think you’re more than prepared. Here, just let me see what you had in mind to wear.”

With a sigh, Isabelle grabbed the hanger holding a simple red dress and another set with a strappy shirt and tight-fitting jeans. “One of the outfits on these hangers or the one I’m wearing.”

Alec took some time to examine the different choices before picking the dress. “Dress. I think it’s casual enough that it could be another one of your everyday outfits, but it could also pass as formal if the judges are looking for that.”

“Alec, you are a life-saver! Where’d you learn about fashion?” Isabelle said, hanging the other clothing back up.

“Just simple strategizing. Comes with being a football captain.” Alec smugly grinned.

“And now you’re annoying again. Now leave so I can get ready.”

“You love me,” Alec said as he spooned some Cheerios into his mouth and walked away.

 

* * *

 

Isabelle’s audition had come directly after Camille’s, and it just so happened to be the last audition as well. That hadn’t exactly helped to calm her nerves considering she knew that the first and last performances were the ones people remembered the most. Nevertheless, she had gone in with all the knowledge she had in mind and a mostly-positive attitude. It seemed as though other students had tried to add a little more zest to their own attire for the auditions, and Isabelle praised her brother for making the right decision. Sometimes brothers could be good for something.

When she was done, Magnus and Clary had been waiting for her outside the auditorium. Clary also had a friend with her - Simon, Isabelle remembered. Apparently, he had joined a band started by some other students at the school, and they were supposed to help out with the instrumentation alongside the orchestra class. Looking at him, Isabelle felt like he fit the aesthetic of an indie band member rather well. Simon was engrossed in whatever Clary was saying as she spoke with vibrance radiating off of her, and the pleased look he gave her made Isabelle feel a little unhappy. Maybe she just had a crush on the boy.

Clary was the first to run up to Isabelle, causing Simon's face to fall. It made Isabelle feel a little empowered to be able to have Clary come to her so eagerly.

“How’d it go? Did they say anything to you?” Clary asked.

“No, results aren’t for another week. Magnus, I don’t think I can wait that long. My heart is beating so fast.”

“Izzy, don’t worry. You were last, which might seem like a bad thing, but it can be good. Assuming you did well - which I’m more than certain you did - the judges will definitely remember and consider you. I even heard Camille was upset because you got to go last instead of her.” Magnus rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I made Camille upset without trying? I think that’s already a victory in itself.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Clary said.

“I hope you get the part,” Simon said to Isabelle with a little wave. “I’m Simon, in case you don’t know.”

“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you from Clary! And thank you. I hear you’re helping with the music?”

Simon nodded. “Raphael, the lead singer of the band I’m in, decided that we should volunteer to help. Your teacher seemed really happy about the idea, so here we are now.”

“His bandmates are really nice, too. I was especially surprised with Raphael to be honest,” Clary added.

“They are. Speaking of, Raphael doesn’t stay too nice when I’m late to practice, so I think I should go. But it was nice seeing you all!” Simon departed after a chorus of good-byes.

“Magnus, how did your audition go?” Isabelle asked as the three made their way towards the main school building from the auditorium.

“Simon and biscuit already heard, but I went near the beginning. Sadly I wasn’t the first, but hopefully I made an impression.”

“I, for one, have a lot of confidence in both of you,” Clary said as she hooked her arms around Magnus and Isabelle's shoulders. “Not jinxing anything, but I thought I’d let you know.”

If she was being honest, having Clary support and compliment her was all Isabelle really needed. She'd even be alright with getting some other part in  _Grease_ if it meant being able to listen to the sweet sound of Clary's voice for the rest of her days. 


End file.
